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The secret to finding heaven on earth is right in front of our noses, in one of the most famous passages in all of the Bible, the Lord’s prayer.
When Jesus taught his followers how to pray, he opened with these words, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Now this video series is about heaven and how many misunderstand what the Bible teaches about heaven and God’s future. Too many people think God made us for heaven and wants to save people from the earth so they can live in heaven with him forever. I used to think that way! So when I prayed this prayer, I assumed that we asked for God’s will to be done on earth and for God’s kingdom to come to earth until we went to be with God in heaven forever . . . until the Lord wraps up his earth project at the end of history. At that point, once Jesus completes saving all those he wants to save, he would wad up the earth and toss it into his cosmic trashcan. But those assumptions miss the point of this prayer. That’s why heaven-aimed Christianity misconstrues the Bible’s teaching.
Here’s what Jesus actually means. When we pray, “May your name be hallowed, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” Jesus actually assumes that one day—the fullness of God’s kingdom will come to earth. One day, all people who walk the earth will honor God’s name. One day, 100% of God’s desires and ways will be done on earth as it is in heaven. People will not always build their own kingdoms, exalt their own names, and reject God’s ways. Human hearts will be pure, human bodies will be perfect, and the earth will be paradise. That’s the future of the earth. That’s the future of those who trust in Christ and follow him. Heaven will overwhelm and transform the earth—removing all that’s evil and painful and harmful establishing only what is true and good and beautiful. That’s all in the future. But what about now? How do you find heaven on earth today?
Only through Jesus Christ. Jesus makes himself known and understood through the New Testament and those who preach and live by it. By getting to know Jesus as he presents himself there, and then by praying to him, putting your trust in him, and seeking after his ways instead of your own . . . By doing all of that, Jesus comes to you. He’s alive. He’s in heaven. He’s God. He sends his spirit to enter you so that you can access the benefits of knowing him like his unshakable peace and his overflowing joy. The Spirit channels and transfers all the good things of God to you so you can have a foretaste of them in the present. Wisdom. Hope. Guidance. Stability. Forgiveness. Fortitude. Self-control. All yours through Christ by the Spirit. Heaven on earth begins in you through your faith connection to Jesus Christ . You won’t find it anywhere else, through anything else, or in anyone else.
Now the extent to which we experience the good things of Jesus depends on us. The Bible promises that the closer we draw near to him the closer he draws near to us. In that sense, Jesus is like fire. The closer we get to fire, the more we feel its heat. Jesus is that way. Except we can never get too close to him. The closer we get to him, the more deeply we experience all his benefits. So where do can you find heaven on earth right now? Only through Jesus Christ. Now what are you waiting for?